Called By Name (Easter 2024): There’s something so powerful about being called by name. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, the first eyewitness was his friend, Mary Magdalene. But Mary didn’t recognize Jesus until he called her name. “Mary.” When God calls us by name, his calling changes everything. Recorded on March 31, 2024, on John 20:1-23 by Pastor David Parks.
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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. Today, we’ll consider the meaning of the empty tomb from John chapter 20. Now, one of the features of the account of the resurrection in John is when Jesus calls Mary Magdalene by name. “Mary.” There’s something so powerful about being called by name. If you’ve ever had someone use your middle name when calling you by name, that probably wasn’t a good thing. You were probably in trouble. I still get a “David Elliott” from Holly every so often. Years ago, at the first pastor’s conference I attended before Appleton Gospel started, I went to dinner with some of the national leaders of the EFCA, the denomination we’re part of. There were maybe 50-60 people there, and I didn’t think anyone knew who I was. But then, the president of the EFCA announced that before dinner, David Parks was going to come up and pray in Korean. I froze. I hadn’t met the president, and I didn’t know how he knew my name, much less how he expected me to pray in Korean. But thankfully, before I did anything, a Korean man named David Park, who was a pastor in California, went to the front and led us in a beautiful Korean prayer. After dinner, I introduced myself and shared my moment of panic, and we laughed about it together. But other than that, normally, being called by name means someone knows you, someone sees you, and possibly someone loves you. But is that what you picture when you think about God? As someone who knows you, sees you, and loves you? As someone who calls you by name? Or does God feel far off and removed from your life? I’ve had seasons like that. Do you feel like you’ve been struggling through life without much help? Or that you’ve been trying hard to be a good person and aren’t sure what God thinks about you? Well, this message is for you. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 20. We’ll read through this and unpack it as we go.
John 20:1–10 (NIV), “1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.” Ok, let’s pause here. So, the story of the resurrection of Jesus is found in all four gospel accounts, which makes sense because, if it’s true, it’s the most important event in history. From Mark and Luke’s accounts of this scene, we know that Mary went to the tomb with a few other women with spices and oils to anoint the body of Jesus in the tomb. If you joined us for Good Friday, you’ll remember that the burial of Jesus was rushed because the Sabbath was about to begin, and all work was to cease. So, the women wanted to finish preparing his body as soon as they could to give him a proper burial. In our text, John focuses only on Mary Magdalene. He zooms in on her role as the first witness of the resurrection, which we’ll see next. John mentions that it was still dark. We’ve seen that John uses darkness to represent a lack of understanding or faith. When Mary saw the stone had been removed from the entrance to the tomb, she didn’t know what to think. Mary was physically and metaphorically in the dark. She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, believed to be John, the author of this gospel, and told them what she saw. So, Peter and John went running to the tomb to see for themselves, and I don’t know if you picked up on this, but v. 4 seems unnecessary. John was like, “It wasn’t a race, but, for the record, I won.” And he mentions it again in v. 8. I don’t think guys have changed a whole lot in 2,000 years. But John didn’t go into the tomb first; that was Peter’s win. I think the implication was that Peter was the first to believe because he was the first to fully understand the meaning of the empty tomb. Whatever Peter thought, John didn’t believe until he entered the tomb and realized that Jesus’ body hadn’t been taken. A wild animal couldn’t have taken it. They wouldn’t have been able to move the stone away from the entrance. If a thief could get past the soldiers guarding the tomb, as Matthew’s account says there were, there would’ve been no reason to take the body while leaving the grave clothes. That would make no sense. However, just because they believed didn’t mean they fully understood from the Scriptures that Jesus had to die and rise again. They couldn’t fully connect the dots yet. Later, with the work of the Holy Spirit and a whole lot more Bible study, they would be able to connect the dots. But for now, there was one thing they knew for sure: the tomb was empty. Jesus was no longer there. He had risen — just as he said he would. But they still hadn’t seen him. Would they see him? What should they do? They did what any of us would do. They went back to tell the others and figure out what to do next. But before Jesus would meet them, he had someone he wanted to talk to first. v. 11.
John 20:11-18 (NIV), “11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.” Let’s pause once more. Now, Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) was a popular name at this time, so John identifies the different Marys by their families or where they were from. Magdalene meant that this Mary was from the little town of Magdala on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee, not far from where Jesus did much of his early ministry. Now, we don’t know much about Mary, but we do know that she followed Jesus as his disciple after he healed her from seven demons. It probably would’ve been wild to know Mary before and after Jesus healed her. She likely was wealthy, as Luke listed her among a group of women who financially supported the ministry of Jesus. But still, it’s remarkable that Jesus chose to make his first resurrection appearance to her. At this most important moment in history, when the eyewitness accounts of a man who had risen from the dead would be scrutinized in every way for, well, going on 2000 years now, if you had to pick an eyewitness, you’d want them to be the most reliable, most believable kind of person you could find. You’d want a king or at least some respected official, someone in a position of power — probably not an unmarried woman from a small town with a sketchy past! Commentator Don Carson notes that at this time, “…a woman’s evidence was not normally admissible in court.” (Carson, PNTC, p. 636). Because of who she was, Mary would’ve undermined the reliability/plausibility of the gospel for many. But Jesus didn’t care. She was his friend. She was his disciple/follower. We saw on Good Friday that Mary had witnessed his suffering and death on the cross. She was there for him when he died. And she was there as soon as the Sabbath allowed her to finish dressing his body. Mary honored Jesus in his life and death. Now, he honored her faithfulness/devotion by appearing to her first. This is always how God works. God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. In his kingdom, the first will be last, and the last will be first. The heart of the gospel is that the Lord of all gave his life as the servant of all. In other words, our faithful sister, Mary, was the perfect first witness to the resurrection in the kingdom where Jesus was king. Once she heard Jesus call her by name and recognized him, he immediately sent her back to the others with the news. “I have seen the Lord!” she told them. But Mary wouldn’t be the only eyewitness that day. Look back at v. 19.
John 20:19–23 (NIV), “19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” This is God’s word. When Jesus shows up, the disciples’ fear turns to joy. And his presence brings a double blessing of peace. But why does Jesus start talking about the Holy Spirit and forgiveness? The central problem that Jesus solved was our separation from God and our need for forgiveness of sins. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This is our greatest problem, for the wages of sin is death. However, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord — a new and spiritual life. In Hebrew, the words for breath and spirit are one and the same. The breath of Jesus, on this first Easter evening, anticipates what he promised his disciples just a few days earlier: the gift of another advocate, another counselor/helper, the Holy Spirit, who would be given on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension back into heaven. A new, final era of this broken world was about to begin — an era defined by the good news of God’s grace and the redemption, forgiveness, and new creation that comes with faith in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. But before this appearance to the other disciples, what had opened Mary’s eyes to the truth of the resurrection? What was it that turned her tears of grief into tears of joy? What sent her off not in the darkness of fear and doubt but in the light of purpose and the greatest good news she could possibly give? It was when Jesus called her by name. “Mary.” John places this personal calling at the center of his account of the resurrection. Now, the Bible is full of times when God called people by name. God called Abram by name. He called Hagar, a female slave, by name and she said, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” God called Moses by name when he thought he was alone in the wilderness. The prophet Isaiah said, “Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.” God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Back in chapter 10 of John’s gospel, Jesus said that as the Good Shepherd, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (Jn 10:3-4). This is the clear pattern of how God deals with people. God knows us, sees us, and calls us by name. “Mary.” But imagine hearing your name that first Easter morning. Imagine hearing the voice of your friend and Lord, a voice you never thought you’d hear again. What incredible kindness. What personal care. What amazing love Jesus demonstrates, not just for his disciples as a whole, but for Mary as an individual. You see, when we’re saved by faith in the person and work of Jesus, we’re saved into a new people/family. We’re saved into the church/kingdom. It’s not just you and Jesus, and it never has been. A Christian on their own is an emergency. But at the same time, we are saved as an individual person, as a beloved son or daughter of our Father in heaven. We’re saved by the One who created us and knows us better than anyone. He knows the number of hairs on your head and every thought/desire/struggle in your heart and life, but he still loves you and calls you by name. Mary. This is what Christians mean when they talk about being saved by grace through faith. Grace is unearned favor. Grace is a gift. But the only reason we can receive salvation as a gift of God’s grace is that, on the cross, Jesus Christ bore the punishment for our sins. He got what we deserved so that we could get what he deserved. He took our sin and gave us his righteousness. He took our separation from the Father and gave us his family. He took our death and gave us his life, real/eternal life, a life beyond the grave. So today, because of the person and work of Jesus, the life of God, the peace of God, and the love of God are all available for you.
How might we apply this resurrection story to our lives today? We could spend the rest of our lives discovering more answers to that question, but I’ll just give you three thoughts today. First, if you’re not a Christian, if you aren’t ready to follow Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life, I’d say this: don’t just look at the tomb from a distance. Go in and examine the evidence for yourself. Listen to the eyewitnesses. Consider their message and the outcome of their lives. If it’s true, then it changes absolutely everything and is the greatest source of hope, peace, and joy in the world. But if it isn’t true, the Christian faith is worth nothing. None of it would be helpful. If you have questions, if you have doubts, that’s ok. Next week, we’ll consider how to struggle with doubt in the story of Thomas. If this is true, it’ll hold up under our questions. Second, if in hearing God’s word, you believe you’re hearing Jesus call you by name, then welcome. Welcome to the kingdom where Jesus is king. Welcome to the life/love/joy/peace that no one can take from you. You have been given the Holy Spirit. You have been forgiven and freed from the power of sin. God has an incredible purpose for your life. Look up and see him through eyes full of tears. Finally, if you are a Christian. If you’ve heard Jesus call you by name and you’ve seen him as an active, powerful, healing presence in your life, then go and tell others what Mary went to tell her friends: “I have seen the Lord!” I have seen the one who knows/sees me and calls me by name and loves me and has forgiven me and given me a new life and a new purpose infused with the very power and presence of the Spirit of the living God. There’s something so powerful about being called by name. And the good news of the gospel is that because of the person and work of Jesus, God is calling, even today, even now. And his calling changes everything. Let us pray.